The torrential downpour that flooded the field at Yankee Stadium had come too late. The damage had already been done.

The Yankees were in their clubhouse and getting ready to go to Minnesota, following their fifth straight defeat, a 6-3 loss to the Rays. A 16-day stretch against division opponents had ended with a 6-9 record.

As bad as it was, it felt even worse.

“Six-and-nine seems a lot better than [what] I thought you were going to say,” Brett Gardner said. “I thought you were going to say like 2-13. We just haven’t played good.”

“We” isn’t entirely accurate.

While most of the Yankees’ offense — filled with high-priced free agent acquisitions and veteran bats — have fallen woefully short of the most modest expectations, Gardner’s four-year extension signed in spring training looks more like a bargain each day.

Doing his best Bugs Bunny, Gardner attempted to single-handedly end the losing streak, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, while also gunning down Ben Zobrist at home to keep the score tied at 3 in the fifth inning.

The 30-year-old opened the game with his second career leadoff home run, smashing a 3-2 pitch from Jake Odorizzi into the second deck in right field. It was his eighth home run of the season, matching a single-season career-high.

“He’s an extremely confident individual who continues to get better and better,” hitting coach Kevin Long said. “He’s a very aggressive hitter in the zone. He’s not late. He attacks fastballs and he doesn’t miss them. I think the consistency of his mechanics and his swing have enabled … this little power surge that we’ve seen.”

For a player who didn’t know what his place would be on the team, or if he’d have a place on the team, following Jacoby Ellsbury’s signing, Gardner has become the Yankees’ most reliable bat, doing all, and often more than, a leadoff man can be asked to do.

After two more hits, including an RBI single in the fourth inning which put the Yankees up 3-2, Gardner took over the team-lead in batting average (.288). He has hit .324 with a .471 on-base percentage over the past 18 games.

“I feel good at the plate. I feel like I’m in a good place,” said Gardner. “I just got to keep going up there and have good at-bats and get on base.”

Though Gardner said he feels as confident as he ever has, he realizes the rest of the lineup isn’t feeling the same.

For them, a change of scenery and 11 games on the road might not be the worst thing.
“Sometimes when things aren’t going good, it’s hard to maintain confidence,” said Gardner. “Sometimes, you can’t help but get down from time to time, but we’ve got a game tomorrow. We can’t afford to get down. We got to try and stay positive and have a good road trip.

“Playing at home obviously hasn’t helped us in the last week, so maybe we’ll play a little better on the road. We’ll see, but it definitely can’t hurt to change things up.”